Reds vs. Giants: Why Brandon Phillips Can Be the Star of the 2012 Postseason

Thearon W. Henderson/Getty ImagesBrandon Phillips is stepping up and taking over the 2012 NLDS

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The October stage can turn baseball journeymen into legends and regular season heroes into goats.

It is here on this stage that legends are born, fairy tales are played out and yes, reputations are earned and lost. Some players can handle it—some others cannot. Brandon Phillips can and is.

Brandon Phillips could very well be on his way to postseason glory in 2012. Let's check out why.

Through the first two games of the Reds-GiantsNLDS Series @DatDudeBP has gone 5 for 10 with a home run, two doubles, and four RBI. But it isn't just offensive stats that earn you respect and glory during postseason play.

No sir—there are other factors.

Factors such as when Brandon Phillips popped his first season home run and the circumstances surrounding it. You remember right?

Ace, Johnny Cueto had just gone down in Game 1 after only eight pitches. The airbag that fills our chest had all but collapsed until you guessed it (and most likely witnessed it)—BP took Matt Cain's little white pearl and deposited it over the left-centerfield wall.

Phillips' clutch home run breathed life back into a deflated fan base and his team's deflated spirits. But, he didn't stop there—oh, no. He went on to collect two more hits while driving in two more runs and essentially single handily slapped and "L" across the foreheads of the Giants.

What we describe above is but half of what actually happened though. Do you remember those back to back barehanded plays he made in the field.

What about when "Super Dat Dude" came flying out of nowhere to snag an errant throw from Scott Rolen and prevented the runner from advancing into scoring position—do you remember that one?

Jeff Gross/Getty Images

The Brandon Phillips "Matrix Move" will go down in postseason lore.

Lastly, how could we forget and the soon to be legendary "Matrix move." And thus it is realized—the legend was born.

This performance of one Brandon Phillips in Game 1 of the NLDS will not soon be forgotten. He was their life support. He injected the fight back into his team and continued doing so straight into Game 2, where he produced two doubles and another RBI as his team routed the Giants 9-0.

We may be only two games into the 2012 MLB postseason, but Brandon Phillips has already created a season of highlights and and served up a clutch performance for all of history.

Brandon Phillips may be creating a legendary tale before our very eyes.